San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-09-29
QUEER HEBREW SIGNS,
BEEN IN A. WALK IN THE POLISH
I JEW QUARTER OF NEW YORK.

~
I JEW QUARTER OF NEW YORK.
tx
A Reporter Attempts 20 Deciphor One
OF tho Curious Sign Notwithstanding
About Judisch-Deutsch and the An
Client Hebrew Tongue.
New York's miles of sign boards present
an endless variety Of peculiar names, &C.
equations and photography, and diver
sity of foreign languages, which embraces
nearly every nation on the globe. The
odd signs are usually TO be found in these
localities of the city where the foreigners
of certain nationality have hived them
selves, and made up district distinct
iyely their own. Within few years
there has been an immense immigration
of the Polish Jews TO this country. Their
homes in this city have been, as rule,
located in Bayard, Division, Chatham,
Essex and Hester streets The stores
along these thoroughfares advertise their
wares In signs written In Hebrew charac
tiers. The most ordinary observer Is apt
TO note with some curiosity that the pamc
of the article Is written from right to left,
and tho figure stating tie price is written
according 10 our own usage. Thus, in
stead of writing as in English, Meat
10c. :" these Hebrew signs express 1t as
"l0c.--taeM."
A reporter happened to be standing in
front of liquor store in Essex street,
engaged In an attempt to decipher one OF
these curious sign boards. He was &C
costed by an elderly gentleman, who wore
a small black velvet skull cap. He asked
the reporter whether he could read the
sign. I.
Tho latter answered, "No, sir. Can your"
ooh, yes, can," replied the old man.
"That top line reads: 'Liker store; Die
beste Trinke."
"Why that isn't Hebrew" exclaimed
the learned reporter. 'Thats mixture
of English and German"
"Quite correct" said the stranger;
''that Is what Is known as Judisch-
Deutsch, but 1t seems to me since the
English worl IS have been so frequently
used, the name scarce covers It,.
ABOUT JUDIscH-DEUTscH.
The reporter asked the old man to tell
him something about Judisch- Deutsch.
He readily consented.
y'The name of Judisch- Deutsch," he
said, ''literally translated, means Hebrew
German. 1t is not a language, but dia-
lect, or, as the Polish Jews themselves
term 1t, jargon. 1t takes its name from
the fact that 1t is written in Hebrew char
acters, but It's preponderant element Is
German. 1t contains words from almost
every language, but the extensive use OF
English is very recent. It's history, like
that of all languages, would be the history
of the people who speak 1t, and would
show the singular wanderings of the Jews
Al. 81, N
date In the worlds history the Jews
'trayersed, with the Phoenicians, the Med
iterranean sea and Atlantic ocean, and
were engaged In trading with Britain and
the northern part of Germany. About
the year 800 B. G. Jewish travellers We're
found in Greece, Italy and Spain. From
the latter country they wandered into
France, and about the twelfth century
they were strongly intrenched in Germany
and parts Of Austria, Here they learned
the German language. Still retaining
large portion of the words picked up in
other countries, tho result was a conglom-
erate of German, Spanish, French, Sla-
vonian and other tongues, the first named
being the chief clement. And from this
remarkable pot pourri of languages was
produced what is known as Judisch-
Deutsch. There were also some few Eng
lish words, but scarcely sufficient to be
termed factor in its composition.
Gas education became more widely diff
fused in Germany, and the Jews were Of
fered, better opportunities for becoming
cultured and enlightened, their use OF this
dialect gave place to a more correct ana
polished German, but il is still spoken In
many of the doris In that country.
Those of the race, however, who travelled
..nff 1nI In ND
aud Russia have never had any chance for
Improvement and they still speak the jar
gon. Their dialect is distinguished from
the better German by frequent use of a
harsh, cultural termination ich.' II is
this dialect of the Poles which is used in
the theatrical representations given at the
Oriental theatre, which is carried on en-
tirely by Polish Jews "
ANCIENT HEBREW TONGUE
The old man paused here and the re-
porter took occasion to ask: "But whct
has become of the original Hebrew Ian
'runpe that they started out withP'
WWen. the ancient Hebrew tongue is
very limited in the number of its words,
and does not admit readily Of extended
conversation; consequently the Gomads
were compelled TO prey upon the resources
of the richer languages in order to acquire
expressions for their growing domestic,
but more particularly for their CONNER
cial needs. The idioms which have been
retained are few and are chiefly Of a
homely domestic nature. The distinctive
characteristic Of this dialect is that II IL
only spoken by Jews. Wherever Jewish
communities lave been formed II Is found
more or less in use. II is said to exist in
almost every inhabitahle portion OF the
globe. II is extensively met with in Asia
Ninor. and even in distant Kamtchatka,
for. YOU know ard he made significant
gesture with his right hand, ''you IND
them wherever yon 60
The reporter then asked him 70 trhhs-
latc some Of the signs which could bsseen
on ole stone=-
The old man said: II must tell you be
foreha,sd thst while the Jewish characters
exnress almost the actual, correct SPELLING
81 the German words, they are very de
ficje1,t in expressing tie English orthog-
rarfv. will give yea the exact eluiva-
1T IN The letter. uf yCur own langlulee.
lard ron VII fnd that she word VIII sound
f-,.f = son offfnesf boar % sTuken by the
rn.-e f-norauf clnss q Polish Jews n nta-
~ r.Hich has been made familiar b.
Gs-uurl q Poem ard ofher Jewish siaee
r,-gr.rfers On writing them rcIne-l1Cr
th-t -l-- --o-ls are an written hiisf I'D
fo-r-le-
--fgers = a re-uarl1sisie Co-n,iuafign q
F--ii.la. German ara HehreE, sall tl1
os5 IA - - s.Crqed = frO1t q lArSs